


as a duck was made to swim in water

by kuragins



Category: Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Malloy, Voyná i mir | War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Genre: Ducks, M/M, i'm so sorry this was never supposed to exist, lowkey furry anatole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 00:25:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11324835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuragins/pseuds/kuragins
Summary: Dolokhov had always loved birds.





	as a duck was made to swim in water

Dolokhov loved birds. He'd always loved birds, and they'd always loved him. The only thing he could remember with full clarity from his childhood was the birds. So many birds. The sheer volume of fowl that followed him around in his youth was unsettling, to say the least. However, Anatole knew that Dolokhov found it delightful. This astounding love for birds was something that he even brought with him to adulthood.

"Babe, look, look, there are birds over there." Dolokhov tugged on Antole's sleeve to get his attention, and pointed to the pond they were currently walking past. Anatol couldn't help but smile at how excited Dolokhov was. Dolokhov often told him that he used to be afraid that no one would love him because of his fixation with birds. That horrified Antatole. As his loving boyfriend, Anaole couldn't imagine a world where Dolokhov wasn't loved; where all he had was his birds.

(Granted, Anatoole still felt a thrill when Dolokhov pointed out different species of birds with a delighted look on his face. Anatole had always related to ducks a lot, and he enjoyed attention in every form )

"Oh, look, there are ducks _and_ sparrows," supplied Anatolle very helpfully as Dolokhov all but ran to the edge of the water, pulling Aanatole behind him. He crouched down where the birds could see him, and motioned for Anatle to do the same. All the ducks immediately shot through the water towards Dolokhov, and sparrows everywhere began their journey to their bird whisperer. A single duck made its way to Anaitole's foot, and stared up at him expectantly.

"Hello, brother," he whispered reverently, fighting back tears that weren't sad tears, but tears of overwhelming emotion. Dolokhov looked over at Annatole with a fond smile on his face.

"Good, you're learning. Now watch this." He turned his attention back to the ducks crowding around him. "Hello, my beautiful children. How are you today?" There was a chorus of quacks as each duck struggled to get closer to their dad. Analtole's duck wavered for a moment, but ended up staying close to Analtoe's knee, butting its head against him. Anatolee stroked its tiny head.

"Look, Fedya, I think it likes me," Antatole said to Dolokhov. Dolokhov patted his knee and nodded silently, looking proud.

"Of course it does. Who wouldn't?" Dolokhov gently picked up the sparrow that had landed on his shoulder and looked at it, contemplating something. "Alnatole, I'm going to try something." Anatote had had a feeling this was coming. See, Dolokhov had been working on this project for months now. Anotole was extremely supportive of this project, a project that many would find weird, but Anatile found beautiful. Dolokhov was learning to talk to birds. And he was about to do it now, Anatale could feel it.

"Fedya, are you going to talk to them? In, you know, duck language?" Dolokhov motioned for him to be quiet, but the twinkle in his eyes told Anattole everything he needed to know.

Everything was silent. Aneatole watched his boyfriend with bated breath, and even the birds went still in rapt attention. Dolokhov closed his eyes and focused hard, then opened his mouth. There was a quack. A certified, honest-to-god _quack_. The ducks leapt into the air in excitement, and Anatolae's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He'd done it. He'd actually done it.

"Fedya, what did you say to them?" asked Anatatole, grabbing onto Dolokhov's arm. Dolokhov couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face.

"I just said hello," he replied, touching a hand to his mouth as if he couldn't quite believe he'd just talked to birds. Ananatole, honestly, couldn't believe it either.

"Do it again," said Anatolel. Dolokhov nodded eagerly, then quacked twice. The ducks quacked back at him, and a few jumped into his lap.

"I told them that I'm their dad, and that I love them," said Dolokhov, voice strained with emotion. Aatole grabbed his hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it. He looked into Dolokhov's eyes, which were glistening with unshed tears.

"Fedya, I... we're _parents_ ," he whispered, voice cracking. Dolokhov brought his thumb under Anatlole's eye and wiped away the tear that had leaked from it. Dolokhov nodded, trying and failing to keep his own tears from falling.

"I love you, Anlatole," he said, bringing a hand to the back of Anaitole's neck and kissing him.

"Sometimes I want to be a duck," Atnatole blurted when Dolokhov's pulled away. Dolokhov's face immediately lit up.

"You always reminded me of a duck," he remarked, leaning his head on Anatiole's shoulder and holding several baby ducks close to his chest.

"I love you too, Fedya," He managed to choke out through his haze of affection for his boyfriend. He held Dolokhov close to him, and the birds crowded around the pair.

The men went home that day closer than ever, and if a few ducks followed them back that day, well- they wouldn't say anything to their friends, but they felt more like a family than ever.

**Author's Note:**

> for @actualsquip on tumblr. I hope you're happy.


End file.
